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On why the SNP had taken so many votes from Labour since 2007, Starmer said: “There has been a gap here between arguing for the status quo constitutionally, which I don’t think is sustainable, and independence.

“What I want is for the Labour Party to make the positive, radical case for a new constitutional settlement.”

Asked to name some policy areas that could be devolved, he said: “The areas that I have been discussing today are social security, employment, investment.”

He also said he would be “open-minded” on safe drug consumption rooms to help curb the number of deaths, adding: “We have to see drugs as a public health issue. One of my deepest concerns about what’s happening in relation to drugs is that the support and services that should be there, are not there.”

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Another issue is the difficult ­relationship between Labour and the Scottish party led by Richard Leonard.

Starmer said: “There is a feeling that the relationship could have worked better, that sometimes there was what appeared to be an imposition of views.”

He said the setting of constitutional policy should be based on “agreement”, rather than “any notion of it being imposed on Scottish Labour”.

Starmer faces a daunting task if he wins. He believes Labour can win at the next general election. He said: “It’s a huge challenge but I think we can do it. But we will only do it if we unify as a party.”